Apparatus for feeding cleats to box-making machines



Sept. 12, 1961 D. e. KINGSLEY APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CLEATS TO BOX-MAKING MACHINES Original Filed Sept. 20, 1954 1 wzzv 0R David a. kxvgsl y M,Mu

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ATTORNEYS.

2,999,616 APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CLEATS T BOX-MAKING MACHINES David G. Kingsley, Mountain Lakes, N.J., assignor to Stapling Machines Co., Rockaway, N.J., a corporation of Delaware Original application Sept. 20, 1954, Ser. No. 457,066, now Patent No. 2,827,201, dated Mar. 18, 1958. Divided and this application Apr. 19, 1957, Ser. No. 659,452 2 Claims. (Cl. 221-224) This invention relates to apparatus for dispensing cleats to wirebound box-making machines of the type disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,304,510 issued December 8. 1942.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 457,066, filed September 20, 1954, now Patent No. 2,827,201.

In such machines, properly assembled cleats and side material or slats are conveyed beneath a transverse bank of stapling units by which staples are driven over longitudinally extending binding Wires, through the side material or slats and into the cleats to form wirebound box blanks. Each of these box blanks comprises a plurality, usually four, box sections or sides which are foldably secured together by the binding wires. The cleats are frequently provided with mitered ends which fit snugly together when the box blanks are folded around to set up the box. Where the box has oblong ends, two lengths of cleats are required, with alternate sections of the box blanks having cleats of different length.

The cleats and side material or slats are conveyed through the box-making machine by continuously moving conveyor bands which carry adjustably positioned projecting push elements which engage the cleats and side material or slats and maintain their properly assembled relationship.

In United States Patent No. 2,658,631, issued November 10, 1953, there is disclosed apparatus for mechanically dispensing cleats into proper position in the spaces ahead of the push elements on the conveyor bands of a wirebound box-making machine. This apparatus eliminates some of the manual labor which has previously been required in the laying of cleats and thereby enables a substantial reduction in the cost of producing Wirebound boxes and crates.

The present invention is in the nature of an improvement over the invention of said Patent No. 2,658,631, to the end of achieving a more dependable supply of cleats to the conveyor bands of wirebound box-making machines. The invention allows greater flexibility in positioning of the cleat dispensing units when cleats of two diflerent lengths are being fed.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of the lower portion of a cleat dispensing apparatus embodying features of the present invention, said apparatus being of the gravity feed type and including means for displacing the bottom cleat to permit a cleat pushing element to enter and continue freely beneath it.

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 except that the cleat displacing mechanism is shown in operative position, with the bottom cleat raised above its normal position.

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the portion of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an end view of the apparatus looking toward the end which appears at the right in FIGURE 2.

The cleat dispensing apparatus illustrated is adapted to be supported by one of the pair of longitudinally extending side rails which form part of conventional wirebound box-making machines as disclosed in the afore- 2,999,616 Patented Sept. 12 1961 mentioned Patent No. 2,304,510. One of said side rails is positioned at each side of the machine to support the conveyor bands. While each of the side rails bears cleat dispensing apparatus, it is deemed sufficient to illustrate and describe only one of the dispensing units, since they are identical except for reversal of parts.

As may be seen in FIGURE 4, each of the side rails is built up from a pair of angle members A and B which are bolted together in spaced relationship.

The cleat dispensing device is mounted on the rails A and B in similar manner as is illustrated in FIGURES 1-3 of the parent application, now US. Patent No. 2,827,201. The present device is particularly useful in combination with another dispensing apparatus, for example an apparatus of the type illustrated in FIGURES 1-7 of said Patent No. 2,827,201, to supply two different lengths of cleats to the conveyor bands of the boxmaking machine, where required by the design of the box being made. In such a combination, the apparatus of FIGURES 1-7 of said Patent No. 2,827,201 is used to supply cleats of one length to alternate cleat spaces on the conveyor bands and the device disclosed herein is used to supply cleats of another length to the remaining spaces.

The latter device is of the gravity-feed type having a hopper for supporting a generally vertical stack of cleats, with a mechanism for raising the stack of cleats sufiiciently to permit the oncoming cleat pushing member to move beneath the bottom cleat of the stack to a predetermined point whereupon the elevating means are retracted to allow the stack of cleats to be supported on the push tin of this cleat pushing member, thus causing the push fin to move beneath the hopper without coming into contact with the trailing end of the bottom cleat and thereby preventing the feeding of a cleat from the hopper into the space ahead of this push fin, leaving this space to be filled by a cleat of different size from the second hopper.

As shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 4, this cleat displacing mechanism includes a solenoid 86 suitably mounted on the horizontal shelf portion of a U-shaped hanger member 90fastened to blocks 92 extending between the vertical flanges of angle members A and B. The armature 88 of solenoid 86 is provided with an enlarged head which projects through an opening 94 in the base member H. When the armature is in its retracted position, as shown in FIGURE 1, its outer surface is aligned with the upper surface of the base member H.

As may be seen in FIGURES 3 and 4, the conveyor band C, which moves in the direction indicated by the arrows W, carries similar cleat spacing members X and Y which are clamped thereon at positions adjustable longitudinally of the conveyor band, to define between the adjacent members X and Y cleat spaces of alternately shorter and longer lengths for receiving cleats of corresponding lengths in the manner illustrated in FIG- URE 3 of US. Patent No. 2,557,515. Cleat spacing member Y is provided at its outer end with a projecting push fin Y1 for the purpose of pushing the cleats C along the support H, while its inner end bears a suitably shaped lug Y2 which, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, is adapted to depress the spring loaded plungers 96 and 100 of a pair of electric switches 98 and 102 which are mounted at spaced positions alongside the path of the conveyor band.

Switches 98 and 102 are interconnected for control of the solenoid 86 in the type of circuit illustrated in FIGURE 7 of US. Patent No. 2,684,086 in which the two switches 22 and 24 control the magnetic winding 86. Thus, actuation of switch 98 energizes solenoid 86 and this, as illustrated in FIGURE 2, causes the armature 88 of solenoid 86 to be projected upwardly against the bottom cleat of the stack and raise the stack sutliciently to remove the bottom cleat from the path of push fin Y1. Solenoid 86 continues to be energized by the relay so that its armature 88 remains elevated to support the stack of cleats until lug Y2 of cleat spacing member Y contacts the plunger of the second electric switch 102. The actuation of switch 102 releases the relay and deenergizes solenoid 36, retracting its armature 88 and allowing the stack of cleats to drop so that the trailing edge of the bottom cleat will be in the path of the push fin of the next oncoming cleat spacing member.

It will be seen that the apparatus disclosed is capable of reliably dispensing cleats into their proper respective positions on the continuously moving conveyor bands of a box-making machine, such apparatus being relatively fool proof in operation. It will therefore be appreciated that the aforementioned and other desirable objectives have been achieved. However, it should be emphasized that the embodiment of the invention shown and described herein are intended as merely illustrative and not as restrictive of the invention.

1 claim:

1. Apparatus for dispensing slats comprising a conveyor band, means for driving said conveyor band, push elements secured to said conveyor band at intervals to define alternate spaces for respectively receiving cleats of two different lengths, a hopper adapted to hold a generally vertical stack of cleats of one of said lengths in line above the path of said push elements, a horizontal cleat supporting surface extending, across the bottom of said hopper for supporting the bottom cleat in said stack in said path, the lower end of said hopper on at least three sides thereof being spaced above said supporting surface a distance at least slightly exceeding the thickness of one of said cleats, whereby said push elements can pass through the lower end of said hopper and engage the trailing end of said bottom cleat, strip it from the bottom of said stack and push it endwise out of said hopper along said path, a movable cleat elevating member adapted to engage said bottom cleat and hold its trailing end above said path, motive means for actuating said cleat elevating member as aforesaid, control means for controlling the operation of said motive means, actuating elements carried by said conveyor band in predetermined relation with the push elements at the trailing ends of the spaces for receiving cleats of the other of said lengths, to actuate said control means and cause said motive means to drive said cleat elevating member to engage said bottom cleat and hold the same above said path as the latter said push members pass the trailing end of said bottom cleat.

2. Apparatus for dispensing slats comprising a conveyor band, means for driving said conveyor band, push elements secured to said conveyor band at intervals to define alternate spaces for respectively receiving cleats of two difierent lengths, a hopper adapted to hold a generally vertical stack of cleats of one of said lengths in line above the path of said push elements, a horizontal cleat supporting surface extending across the bottom of said hopper for supporing the bottom cleat in said stack in said path, the lower end of said hopper on at least three sides thereof being spaced above said supporting surface a distance at least slightly exceeding the thickness of one of said cleats, whereby said push elements can pass through the lower end of said hopper and engage the trailing end of said bottom cleat, strip it from the bottom of said stack and push it endwise out of said hopper along said path, a vertically movable cleat elevating member adapted to engage said bottom cleat and lift its trailing end above said path, electrically controlled motive means for driving said cleat elevating member, electrical switch means connected to control said motive means, and switch actuating elements carried by said conveyor band in predetermined relationship with the push elements at the trailing ends of the spaces for receiving cleats of the other of said lengths, to actuate said electrical switch and cause said motive means to drive said cleat elevating member to lift said bottom cleat above said path as the latter said push members pass the trailing end of said bottom cleat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 548,056 Hewitt Oct. 15, 1895 821,761 Stanley May 29, 1906 1,280,669 Copeland Oct. 8, 1918 1,330,639 Leumann Feb. 10, 1920 2,089,385 Llewellyn et a1 Aug. 10, 1937. 2,159,132 Chalmers May 23, 1939 2,599,460 Kingsley et al. June 3, 1952 2,629,503 Neja Feb. 24, 1953 2,658,631 Kingsley Nov. 10, 1953 2,702,132 Van Doren Feb. 15, 1955 2,726,013 Rice et al. Dec. 6, 1955 2,731,131 Shannon Jan. 17, 1956 2,769,570 Adams Nov. 6, 1956 

